Mortality Risk following Adversity-Related Injury

November 17, 2017

News Type:
Weekly Spark,
Weekly Spark Research

A study in England assessed mortality risk among adolescents following an accident- or adversity-related injury (i.e., self-inflicted, drug- or alcohol-related, or violent injury). Researchers examined data from adolescents ages 10 to 19 who were admitted to the hospital for accident- or adversity-related injury and compared their risk of death in the decade after discharge. They discovered that adolescents with an adversity-related injury had a higher risk of suicide and drug- or alcohol-related death compared to those with an accident-related injury.

Adversity-related injuries were associated with three- to five-fold increases in the 10-year risk for suicide, homicide, and deaths related to drug and alcohol use compared to accident-related injuries. The highest risk of death from any cause was among boys treated for self-inflicted or alcohol- or drug-related injuries when they were 18 to 19 years old. Suicide risk increased for both boys and girls following a self-inflicted or drug- or-alcohol related injury, and increased for boys following a violent injury.

The researchers concluded that, given the increased long-term mortality risk among adolescents hospitalized for adversity-related injury, prevention efforts should be expanded to include a psychosocial assessment for these youth prior to hospital discharge.

Herbert, A., Gilbert, R., Cottrell, D., & Li, L. (2017). Causes of death up to 10 years after admissions to hospitals for self-inflicted, drug-related or alcohol-related, or violent injury during adolescence: A retrospective, nationwide, cohort study. Lancet, 390(10094), 577–587.

The Suicide Prevention Resource Center at EDC is supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS), under Grant No. 5U79SM062297.

The views, opinions, and content expressed in this product do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or policies of CMHS, SAMHSA, or HHS.